Alisa Brownlee, ATP, CAPS blog offers recent articles and web information on ALS, assistive technology--augmentative alternative communication (AAC), computer access, and other electronic devices that can impact and improve the quality of life for people with ALS.
Email--abrownlee@alsa-national.org.
Any views or opinions presented on this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the ALS Association.

November 10, 2011, 15:30-16:30 CET (GMT +1)

Online

In this 1 hour (45 minutes + time for questions) Eye Tracking Academy Webinar we will go through things that should be considered when designing a usability study where an eye tracker is used.

The webinar will cover the following topics:

What to consider during the recruitment

How the lab should be set up

What to consider when designing tasks

The consequences of using think aloud

The importance of a script

Objective:
Our objective is to help our users to avoid common mistakes done when performing eye tracking research within the field of usability.
Please note: This is not a webinar about how to use Tobii Studio or set up Tobii Eye Trackers. The focus of the webinar is methodology and common mistakes made when doing eye tracking studies.Audience and prerequisites:
This webinar is for usability or market research professionals who have experience of doing usability studies. Basic knowledge about basic eye tracking terms like gaze plots and heatmaps is necessary in order to fully understand this webinar.About the Instructor:This webinar is taught by Anneli Olsen, Usability Trainer and Researcher at Tobii Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

Engineering students aid disabled community

Delbert McCoy had not been able to eat a bowl of soup since age 19 – first because his hands (like 90 percent of his body) had been severely burned and then because of later-in-life onset of Parkinson's Disease.
But that changed when University of Detroit Mercy mechanical engineering students tackled McCoy's challenge.
Each year, students of Dr. Derek Kleinke, a UDM professor of four years, have the opportunity to change the lives of several people by creating "assistive technology" for clients with physical challenges.Kleinke was inspired by the professor before him to assign the difficult projects to his senior students.
"At first, I was worried that the student team would feel uncomfortable being around the client," he said. "Our first was a man suffering from MS (multiple sclerosis). But the client was so determined to overcome MS that he inspired myself and the students."
The students face the formidable task of figuring out a client's problems and designing a device to ease them.
In one case, students worked with a paraplegic man who was comfortable with his manual wheelchair and did not want to own a power chair. But he constantly struggled with everyday tasks, such as laundry, because he would drop things he set on his lap when he had to use his arms to move the chair.
In response to this man's wishes, the students designed a power pack that could easily attach to an ordinary wheelchair and provide electric power for as long as the client wished and could be removed when done.
This particular project is one of many featuring a student design that has potential to turn into a business, said Kleinke.
The projects can put a lot of pressure on the students, who are trying not only to please an actual client but also to achieve a high grade for their work.
"At first, students are apprehensive and they tend to feel the pressure halfway through the semester," said Kleinke. "That's what I want. But in the end when they have to deliver the product to the client and look them in the eyes, there is no doubt whether they have done a good engineering job."
The program, branded Faces by Design, gives students a hands-on experience and prepares them for situations that they may face in their careers, according to their teacher.
Kleinke, who worked many years for Ford before coming to teach at UDM, said that in large companies many engineers have very specific tasks. He likes giving students the opportunity to work the design process from beginning to end.
"I was worried that we would run out of projects as the years went on," said Kleinke. "But the disabled community gets overlooked and there are projects everywhere. Knowing that your students helped at least one client with a design (and could possibly help thousands more) is inspiring."
Delbert McCoy stirred the UDM mechanical engineering students to try to help him eat soup on his own again without spilling from the tremors caused by his Parkinson's.
The student team engineered the Spill-Proof Balloon Spoon, which allows clients to suck liquid into a balloon at the handle of the spoon and then squeeze the balloon releasing the liquid once the spoon is in the mouth.
"With each design, we know that we have helped at least one person," said Kleinke. "But with designs like the Spill-Proof Balloon Spoon, we could help thousands across the country by distributing to nursing homes."
That thought pleases Kleinke and his student engineers.

International AAC Awareness Month is celebrated around the world each October. The goal is to raise awareness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and to inform the public about the many different ways in which people communicate using communication devices.

International AAC Awareness Month was established by ISAAC’s LEAD Project Committee in October 2007. Thirteen countries participated in the first Awareness Month, and events have been increasing in number and scope ever since.

Activities scheduled each year during the month of October vary from country to country. Some people host conferences and awareness days. Social events, such as morning or afternoon teas and open houses, help create a sense of community. International events, such as the 24-Hour Read-a-Thon and published collections of stories, videos and songs, are other exciting ways that people come together from around the world to promote AAC.

Join ISAAC’s annual celebration of International AAC Awareness Month. We invite you to plan or attend an AAC awareness event in your community, or participate in an online event.